Skip a Beat
by Keitorin Asthore
Summary: Blaine is stuck working in his mother's flower shop after his recording contract in NYC fell through. Kurt is a reclusive blogger and the young single father to a six-year-old boy. There was probably no chance for their paths to ever cross, but fate didn't count on little Gabriel Hummel stepping in to make his daddy and the flower man happy. Klaine.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Glee belongs to Ryan Murphy and Fox, not me.

* * *

Blaine bit back a sigh as the bell above the flower shop door chimed for the millionth time. He wasn't supposed to be stuck for the summer at his mother's flower shop in middle-of-nowhere, Ohio; he was supposed to be promoting his new album in New York City. But clearly fate had different plans.

_Make the best of it, Anderson, _he told himself sternly as he straightened up behind the counter and smiled at the patrons. "Hi, can I help you?" he said.

A tall lanky man in a red polo shirt grinned sheepishly at him. "Uh, yeah, I think so," he said. "I, uh…"

A tiny blond-haired boy popped out from behind him. "He forgot his anna-sery," he announced in a cheerful piping voice.

"Thanks for that, Gabriel," the man said dryly. He took the little boy's hand and tugged him closer. "Yeah, I managed to forget my anniversary."

"Ah," Blaine grinned.

The little boy patted the man's hand. "It's okay, Uncle Finn," he said. "I won't tell Aunt Lucy on you."

"Oh, no, you will," Finn said. "We all know you can't keep secrets."

Blaine leaned on the counter. "So are you looking for any kind of flowers in particular, or just the classic red roses?" he asked. "You can't go wrong with those."

"That's what I got here when I forgot our anniversary last year," Finn said. "I was trying to remember what kind of flowers she had at our wedding. They were kind of…I don't know. Fluffy? They smelled nice."

"Do you remember what color they were?" Blaine asked, smiling. "Fluffy and nice-smelling describes a lot of flowers."

Gabriel tugged on Finn's hand and pointed at a pot of brilliant orange marigolds. "Uncle Finn, get those!" he said. He escaped the grip on his hand and buried his nose in the blossoms, then immediately drew back. "Ew! They smell like socks."

Blaine laughed as the child wrinkled his nose. "Yeah, those don't smell very pretty, do they?" he said.

Gabriel shook his head emphatically. "Don't get those, Uncle Finn," he said.

"Don't get the flowers that smell like socks. I can handle that," Finn said, beckoning to the little boy, who zipped back over to him and grabbed his big hand. "My wife's flowers were pink, I remember that. Big fluffy pink things. That smelled good."

Blaine walked out from behind the counter. "Well, let's see what we can find," he said.

A small hand grabbed onto his fingers and he looked down to see little Gabriel holding his hand. "I wanna help find things," he announced.

"All right, you can be my helper," Blaine said. He picked up a pink hyacinth and held it out to Finn. "Were these the flowers?"

Finn scrutinized the petals. "I don't know," he said warily. "Maybe?"

Blaine handed the flower to Gabriel. "Hold that as careful as you can, okay?" he said. Gabriel nodded solemnly.

The little boy was holding a small handful of different pink fluffy flowers before Finn recognized his wife's wedding flowers. Blaine arranged a lovely bouquet of peonies in a round glass vase and tied a white sheer ribbon around it, and found himself wishing for once that he had inherited his mother's knack for making bows look nice.

"Thank you so much," Finn said in relief as he took the vase. "She's going to love it."

"No problem," Blaine said. "Have a nice day."

He turned back to close the cash register, but Gabriel raised himself up on his tiptoes and patted his hand on the counter. "Mr. Flower Man!" he called.

"Florist, Gabe," Finn reminded him.

Gabriel held out his hand. "I would like one flower please, Mr. Florist Man," he said.

Blaine laughed. "Why do you want a flower?" he asked.

Gabriel smiled, a dimple popping in his cheek. "For my daddy!" he said.

"You want to give one to your daddy and not your mommy?" Blaine said.

"I don't have a mommy, I just got a daddy," Gabriel said, swinging on the counter. "And I wanna get him a flower."

Blaine hesitated, the back of his neck itching a little. _Good job, Anderson. of course you would stick your foot in your mouth like that_, he thought. "Sure," he said, smiling at the child. "What kind of flower do you think your daddy would like?"

Gabriel swiveled around and pointed at a silver tub full of white gardenias. "That one!" he said. "It smells pretty."

"That's a good choice," Blaine said. He picked out the nicest-looking bloom in the bunch and handed it to Gabriel. "Be very gentle with it, all right?"

Gabriel nodded, staring at the flower with wide blue eyes as he balanced the stem on his palms. "Thanks so much for all your help," Finn said. He patted the little boy's back. "Say thank you, Gabriel."

"Thank you, Mr. Flower Man," Gabriel said, beaming an angelic smile at him.

"He's a flori- oh, never mind," Finn said. "Let's go, bud."

The bells chimed again as they left, and Gabriel twisted around to wave one last time, still smiling brightly. Blaine waved back, grinning to himself. Maybe helping in his mom's flower shop wasn't all bad. Sometimes it could even be a little fun.

Still, though, he was a little mad that fate decided that he wasn't meant to be a recording artist. What was going to be better than that?

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Hurray! I'm just a bit behind, but here's the first chapter of my Klaine reversebang!

I know I've been AWOL for quite a while, so here's a bit of an update! Two months ago I got the call from Disney and moved down to Orlando. I'm now a flight attendant at Star Tours at Disney's Hollywood Studios! And even better, I'm on the list to get cross-trained at the Great Movie Ride I have a move-in date set for an absolutely beautiful apartment, and my darling husband and my sweet kitty will be coming down from Nashville next month. I've been separated from them for two months now- only one month to go!

One of my favorite things that has happened since I started at Disney is that I've gotten to meet two readers! I met sweet Megan, who I got to chat with for about a minute, and a lovely lady that I sadly didn't get a chance to talk to, but in both cases my day was completely brightened! So if you're at Disney's Hollywood Studios and run into a short redhead with a nametag that says "Caitlin from Nashville, TN" you should come and say hi!

And now I'm going to keep working on my story! :D I hope you like it!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Glee belongs to Ryan Murphy and Fox, not me.

* * *

"Daddy!"

Kurt frowned at his computer screen. He was almost done typing up his newest blog article; just a few more sentences and he would be done.

"Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!"

"Coming, baby," he called back, clicking save and scooting away from his desk. He could always finish in a little bit, or maybe after he'd put Gabriel to bed. He glanced down at his worn out tee shirt and jeans. Really, he'd meant to take a shower and put on decent clothes, but somehow he'd never gotten around to it. Oh, well.

He jogged down the stairs, brushing his hair out of hair out of his eyes. Gabriel was swinging on the banister, but he jumped up when he saw Kurt, beaming brightly.

"Hi, sunshine!" Kurt said, swooping his little boy up. Gabriel threw his arms around his neck and smacked a kiss on his cheek. "How was kindergarten today? Did Hawthorne give you a hard time at recess again?"

Gabriel shook his head. "Nope, he tried to take my ball, but I asked for it back nice, and he still took it, but then I told the teacher, and then he got a time out," he said.

"Good," Kurt said, brushing a lock of hair out of Gabriel's eyes. He sighed. "I can't believe your kindergarten graduation is next week."

"And then I go to first grade!" Gabriel chirped. He paused, pursing his lips. "Oh! Daddy, I got you a flower. Here!" He thrust a pretty white bloom into Kurt's hands. "Do you like it? One of the leaves got bended, but Uncle Finn said you'd still like it."

"It's lovely," Kurt said, brushing his thumb over the sweet-scented gardenia petals.

Gabriel beamed with pleasure, revealing the missing tooth in his smile. "The nice Mr. Flower Man helped me get it," he said.

"Where did you meet nice Mr. Flower Man?" Kurt asked.

"I helped Uncle Finn get flowers," Gabriel said proudly. "We found pink fluffy ones for Aunt Lucy. And I found some that smelled like socks, but we didn't get those."

"Well, thank goodness for that," Kurt said. Gabriel leaned his head on his shoulder, rubbing his cheek against the soft worn fabric of his old tee shirt, and Kurt patted his back.

Finn stuck his head out of the kitchen. "Oh, there you are, Kurt," he said. "Have you been in your room all day again?"

"I was working," Kurt said stiffly.

"Did you get Lucy's text?" Finn asked. "She wants to know if you've found a date to Rachel's wedding."

"Why does she want to know?" Kurt asked.

"Well, she says that if you haven't found a date, she has a guy who'd love to meet you," Finn said.

Kurt shifted Gabriel to his other hip. "I don't need a date," he said.

"Need, or want?" Finn asked quietly.

Kurt gritted his teeth. Finn gave him that look again, that concerned look tempered with pity, and Kurt bristled, but before they could start into their old conversation again, Burt walked in from the garage.

"Grampa!" Gabriel squealed, wriggling out of Kurt's grip and running for his grandfather. "Grampa! Grampa! Grampa!"

"Hey, little guy," Burt said, grinning broadly, and Gabriel hugged him tight around his knees. "You have a good day at school?"

"Yeah, I got a sticker in music class and I played with the cars and my teacher didn't move my clothespin so I stayed on green," he reported.

Burt laughed and bent to kiss the top of his golden head. "Sounds like a good day of kindergarten to me," he said. He glanced up at Finn. "Good day at school for you too?"

"None of my kids failed their pop quiz and nobody got hurt at football practice. That's a good day of high school for me," Finn grinned.

"He forgot his anna-sery and we went to a store and the flower man got him flowers for Aunt Lucy and look, Grampa, look, I got a flower for my daddy!" Gabriel beamed, pointing to the gardenia in Kurt's hand. "It smells really pretty."

Burt raised an eyebrow. "Forgot your anniversary again this year, huh?" he said, amused. Finn rolled his eyes.

Gabriel ran back to Kurt, flinging his arms around his waist. "What're we having for dinner?" he asked. "Fish sticks? I like fish sticks. Can we have fish sticks?"

"Probably not tonight, kiddo," Burt said. "We had fish sticks last night."

"Is Aunt Lucy making dinner?" Gabriel asked Finn, tilting his head to the side like an inquisitive bay bird. "Can you ask her to make me fish sticks?"

Finn grinned and stuck his hands in his back pockets. "Nope, I'm taking her out to dinner tonight," he said proudly. "I'm going to wear a suit."

"Look at you being all grown up," Kurt smirked.

Finn elbowed him lightly in the side. "When's the last time you wore a suit?" he teased. His watch chirped and he glanced down at his wrist. "Okay, I've got to head out to pick up Lucy. We'll be back for Friday night dinner, though."

"Remind Lucy to bring my new cookbook back, there's a recipe in there I want to try," Kurt said.

"And that reminds me, you need to text her back," Finn said.

"Just tell her no for me."

"No what?" Burt asked.

"She has a guy who wants to meet me," Kurt sighed. He rolled his eyes. "So I can have a date for the wedding. Why does everything think I need a date?"

"Because everyone takes dates to weddings," Burt said. "And you haven't been on a date since-"

"I don't need a date," Kurt said flatly. "Besides, between running around doing things for Rachel and keeping an eye on Gabriel, I won't have time to pay attention to a date at the wedding."

"'Cause I get to be the ringbear!" Gabriel said.

"No, sweetie, you're the ring bearer," Kurt corrected him, tapping the tip of his finger against his nose.

Gabriel frowned. "Ringbear, Daddy," he said seriously. "I'm the ringbear."

Kurt sighed. "It'll be fine," he told Burt. "I'm perfectly happy going to the wedding stag."

"But-" Finn started to protest.

Kurt bent to pick Gabriel up and held him on his hip. "Don't you have a wife you need to go pick up?" he said.

"Oh, shoot!" Finn said, grabbing the keys to his truck. "I've gotta get Lucy. Tell Mom I said hi and I'll be here tomorrow at five."

"Will do," Burt said.

Finn leaned in to hug Kurt around the shoulders and kiss Gabriel on the cheek. "Bye, Kurt. Bye, Gabe," he said as he darted out the front door.

"Bye, Uncle Finn!" Gabriel called. He wriggled out of Kurt's grip. "Daddy, can I watch toons now?"

"No cartoons, sweetie, it's a school night," Kurt said. "Go put your school stuff away, and when Nana comes home you can help her make dinner, okay?"

"Okay," Gabriel said, plopping down on the floor to take off his sneakers. Kurt picked up his son's small Star Wars backpack and rifled through it for his take-home folder. He could feel his father's gaze on him.

"Kurt, you know it's okay if you start dating," Burt said quietly. "It's been six years. That's long enough, don't you think?"

Kurt shrugged and didn't look back at him. "I'm fine, Dad," he said. He held out his hand and his son grabbed onto his fingers happily. "Come on, baby, let's go put your things away and find a place for your flower."

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

UGH GABRIEL IS CUTE.

But Kurt is so sad. Poor darling.

But it's okay. Blaine will meet him soon enough.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Glee belongs to Ryan Murphy and Fox, not me.

* * *

Blaine tapped his pen against his lip as he studied the order form. The Berry-St. James wedding had a consultation scheduled in a few weeks, and they were going to need a lot more flowers for them to look at it. He hadn't gotten to meet the bride yet, but from his mother's reports she was apparently the sort of girl who knew precisely what she wanted.

The bells on the door chimed, but before he could even get up from the table to see who it was, a small body flung itself at him. "Hi, Mr. Flower Man!" a little voice chirped.

"Oh, um, hi?" Blaine stammered. He looked down, startled, to see the small blond boy from a few weeks ago hugging him around his waist. "Gabriel, right?"

Gabriel leaned back and smiled brightly at him. "My daddy liked the flower," he said. "And Aunt Lucy liked her flowers too, except I forgot and told her that Uncle Finn didn't remember their anna-sery."

"Was she mad?" Blaine asked.

"Nope, but she pretended like she was," Gabriel said as he climbed up on Blaine's lap. He stuck out his lower lip. "But Uncle Finn didn't take me to McDonalds. He said I tattled. Daddy said I was just being honest."

An older man in a baseball cap and a flannel shirt walked into the shop. "Gabriel Adam Hummel, what have you been told about running off like that?" he scolded.

Gabriel hung his head. "Sorry, Grampa, I just got excited and stuff," he said. He brightened and pointed to Blaine. "Look, I found my flower man."

"Well, I'm glad, but you're squishing him," the older man said.

"Oh, it's fine," Blaine said, smiling. "How can I help you today?"

Gabriel slid off his knees. "I'm helping Grampa get flowers for my nana," he said, running over to grab his grandfather's big hand and drag him over to Blaine. "It's her birthday! And he didn't forget!"

"Well, that's good," Blaine said. He stood up and held out his hand to the older man. "I'm Blaine, nice to meet you."

"Burt," he said, shaking his hand firmly. "I'm this one's grandfather, but you probably figured that out."

"I thought so," Blaine smiled. "So what kind of flowers does your wife like? You can order a premade design, or I can come up with something."

Burt rubbed his hands together. "Let's see what you can come up with," he said.

"I want to help," Gabriel announced, raising his hand. "Can I help?"

Blaine held out his hand. "Sure you can," he said. "What kind of flowers does your nana like?"

Gabriel latched onto his fingers and trotted alongside him, babbling happily about anything and everything under the sun as Blaine looked over flowers. Burt leaned over his shoulder periodically to point out flowers he thought his wife might like.

"Ooh, that's pretty," Gabriel said, reaching out a small hand to touch a yellow rose, but he abruptly hopped back. "Ow! That hurt!" He looked up at his grandfather, frowning deeply. "Grampa, that hurt."

"Well, you shouldn't have been touching stuff that's not yours," Burt said as he cupped Gabriel's small hand in his and bent to kiss his fingertip. "That better, buddy?"

"I need a bandaid," Gabriel said, still pouting.

"I've got some," Blaine said. He went over the counter and pulled out the first aid kit his mother kept under the register. "They're boring ones, though."

Gabriel knuckled at his eyes as he held out his hand. "My daddy got me ones with Phineas and Ferb, but they're at home," he said.

Blaine unwrapped the bandaid and knelt down to wrap it around the child's tiny finger. "I've got Transformers ones at my house," he said. He looked up at Gabriel and grinned; the boy smiled at him. "Is that better, little man?"

"Yeah, it's better," Gabriel said, holding his hand up in front of his face and scrutinizing his bandaged finer. "But I don't want to give Nana any flowers with those hurty things. I don't think it would be very nice."

"That's very sweet of you," Blaine smiled. He looked up at Burt. "How about we go with the gerbera daisies instead? Bright colors and no thorns."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Burt said.

Blaine put together a bouquet of pink and yellow blooms and wrapped it in cellophane and a striped ribbon. As Burt fumbled with his wallet, Blaine paused and reached for a small bunch of blue forget me nots. "Hey, Gabriel, do you want to take some more flowers home to your daddy?" he asked.

His eyes lit up. "Yes!" Gabriel crowed, reaching for them with both hands. He paused right before he took them and arched an eyebrow at Blaine. "Do these have poky things?"

"Nope, no thorns," Blaine reassured him, and Gabriel snatched them up.

"They look just like my daddy's eyes," he said, pleased, and he grabbed Burt's hand. "C'mon, Grampa, let's go home."

"All right, kiddo," Burt said as he picked up the brightly colored daisies. "Thanks for all your help."

"No problem," Blaine said. Gabriel leaned over his shoulder to wave goodbye, and Blaine smiled as he waved back.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

I WANT TO HEAR YOUR HEADCANONS ABOUT GABRIEL.

ALL THE HEADCANONS.

Also I'm sorry I didn't update yesterday. It was a weird day- instead of working at Star Tours, I worked fireworks crowd control for a convention. It was CRAZY, yo. A drunk guy helped me untangle my queue ropes. And I told a different drunk guy not to chase squirrels, because otherwise Snow White would be disappointed in him. And I did the Cupid Shuffle with Pluto. It was a good time.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Glee belongs to Ryan Murphy and Fox, not me.

* * *

"I'm so glad you came," Rachel said for the millionth time, reaching over to pat at Kurt's hand.

"I promised I would come," he said, a little bemused. "Why are you so surprised?"

Rachel tucked a strand of hair out her eyes. "You just never seem to get out much anymore," she said. "Gabriel's nearly six now, and it still feels like you can't-"

"Well, what kind of bridesman would I be if I didn't help with at least a few of the wedding details?" Kurt smiled as he squeezed her elbow.

"And thank God you are, because after the great bridesmaids' dress debacle, I need back-up," Quinn sighed. She slid her sunglasses to the top of her head and turned a page in Rachel's wedding planning binder. "I swear I didn't even know that there were that many shades of blue in existence."

"Tiffany blue! My colors are black, ivory, and Tiffany blue!" Rachel insisted. "It's a very particular color."

"We tried on at least thirty dresses," Quinn confided in Kurt, who hid a smile behind his hand. "Be grateful you're wearing a tux."

Rachel frowned and turned to Kurt. "You haven't told me your date's name yet," she said. "I need a name so I can get the place cards printed."

Kurt blinked. "I don't have a date," he said.

"But you're going to have a date," she said, perplexed. "My guest list is meticulously maintained, Kurt, and if I'm paying for a plus one, then you have to bring a plus one."

"Can't I just bring Gabriel as my date?" Kurt sighed.

"No, he's sitting at the kid's table," Rachel said. "You need to get a date." She patted his hand. "Do you want me to find someone for you?"

"No," Kurt said flatly.

"But I'm sure there's someone I know who would be an acceptable date," Rachel protested. She locked her fingers together, her eyes going soft. "And anyways, I still feel kind of…you know. Responsible. For what happened. I just want to see you happy and-"

"So what time were we supposed to be here?" Quinn interrupted.

Rachel bounced lightly on her toes as she checked her watch. "Our appointment with the florist is supposed to start at three," she said. "What if they forgot about it? What if they're closed? Oh, god, what if they've gone out of business and-"

The door opened. "You're the Berry-St. James wedding, right?"

Rachel whirled around, flashing a wide smile at the florist. "Yes!" she said, holding out her hand. "I'm Rachel Berry, the bride to be." She frowned. "You're not Hannah Anderson. I've been working with Hannah."

Kurt eyed the dark-haired man standing in the doorway from under his lashes. "Hannah is celebrating her anniversary in Hawaii," the newcomer in the bright green apron said, flashing a bright smile. "I'm her son, Blaine. And don't worry, I'm pretty sure I know what I'm doing." He held the door open wider. "Do you want to come in?"

"Yes, we do," Quinn said, taking Rachel's arm in one hand and Kurt's in the other and ushering them inside. She didn't say anything in particular to him, but he felt her give his elbow a surreptitious little squeeze, the way she used to do when they were in high school and she wanted to make sure he was okay. He appreciated the thought, but really, why was everyone still acting like he was going to break at any moment?

The florist brought them into the main part of the shop, all well-lit windows and fragrant brilliant blooms, and Kurt lingered for a moment at the silver pot full of gardenias by the register. Gabriel had brought one home for him a few weeks ago, and the smell had filled his room for days before it finally wilted away. _I need to keep flowers in the house more often, _he thought. _I'm sure Carole wouldn't mind._

"Do you want to sit down?"

Kurt glanced back to see Blaine standing by a small table. The girls were already sitting down, flipping through the flower section of the binder, but Blaine was smiling at him, his hazel eyes crinkling in the corners. Kurt sat down quickly, ducking his head. He hadn't had a man smile at him like that in years.

_He's just being polite, calm down_, he told himself. _God, you need to get out more often._

He shifted in his seat as Rachel began pulling out clipped photos from bridal magazines. "My colors are black, ivory, and Tiffany blue," she said. "Not sky blue. Not baby blue. _Tiffany _blue."

"So…is that close to cerulean?" Blaine asked, blinking.

Rachel's jaw dropped. Kurt patted her hand. "I'm pretty sure he's kidding," he said.

"I am, I promise," Blaine said. He sat down and pulled his chair closer to the table. "So Tiffany blue and ivory."

"Yes," Rachel sighed in relief.

"Well, first things first, are there any flowers you know for sure that you don't want?" Blaine asked as he flipped open a notebook.

"She hates carnations," Quinn said.

"Who doesn't?" Kurt said, but another voice said it at the same time. He whipped around to look at Blaine, who grinned at him like they'd just shared some fantastic secret. Kurt felt the back of his neck heat up and, for the first time in probably years, wished he had dressed in something other than jeans and a tee shirt. Sure, he hadn't had a reason to dress up in ages, but he at least had a few button up shirts in the back of his closet.

"So no carnations," Blaine said. He wrote something down in his notebook. "How do you feel about filler flowers? Like…would you want greenery, or something in your color scheme?"

"Oh, no green things," Rachel said, flapping her hands. "No, no, no. Green and blue clash. Horribly."

"Use babies' breath," Kurt suggested. "It's pretty, it's white, and it's inexpensive." He tapped his fingertip on the table. "I added something to the Vogue weddings Pinterest board a while ago…babies' breath in mason jars. It's adorably shabby chic."

Blaine chewed thoughtfully on his pencil eraser. "That's a great idea," he said. He scribbled something down, then glanced up at Kurt. "You work for Vogue? All the way out here in Ohio?"

"Oh, I'm a writer for them," Kurt said, knotting his fingers together. "Mostly for the website, but I've had a few things turn up in the magazine."

"More than a few things," Rachel cut in. "He's fantastic. His boss loves him, he's so talented and hardworking. They've offered him a full time job in New York, he just won't take it." Kurt looked at her sharply and did a doubletake at the sudden maniacal gleam in her eyes. "And he's single, so-"

"Roses!" Kurt blurted out, and Rachel jumped. "Ivory roses. Ivory roses would be fantastic for the bridesmaids."

"We're wearing Tiffany blue dresses," Quinn added. "I think Kurt's right, ivory would look nice."

Blaine wrote something down, paused, then wrote something in the margin. "That would be a nice contrast," he agreed. "Now, for your bouquet, would you want something solid ivory, or something blue to contrast with your dress."

Distracted by the thought of her bridal bouquet, Rachel started babbling about roses and lilies of the valley. Kurt watched Blaine bend over his notebook and write, nodding pleasantly as he took notes on everything Rachel said. He leaned a little closer to get a better look at his handwriting- narrow, even cursive, with a slight upward tilt as he crossed each T. It was charming. And then he noticed what was written in the margin.

"CURT" it said in big letters. And then beneath it: "KURT?"

Kurt hopped back, his cheeks flushing red, and glanced around to see if anyone had noticed. But no, Rachel was waving her arms around as she described her dream table centerpieces and Blaine was nodding attentively. Quinn raised an eyebrow at him and Kurt looked pointedly away towards a display of vases.

The floral appointment lasted another hour as Rachel finalized her orders. "I was so worried when I didn't see Hannah here, but I really feel like everything's going to be just fine," she said, heaving a dramatic sigh of relief as she got up from the table.

"Well, my mom's going to be back from Hawaii next week, so she can handle your order after that," Blaine suggested.

"No!" Rachel said. She seized Blaine's arm and squeezed his elbow. "No, no, I would really love it if we kept working with you."

Blaine blinked. "Oh," he said. "Well, then, um…I'd be happy to keep working with you then."

Kurt loitered by the counter as Rachel filled out her check. He could catch the faintest hint of scent from the gardenias by the cash register and he bent to breathe it in. They smelled amazing, fresh and sweet, and for a moment he wondered if he should just buy a bouquet to keep on his desk.

"Are gardenias your favorite?"

He straightened, looking right up at Blaine. Blaine was smiling at him and Kurt felt his stomach suddenly flipflop. He'd never seen eyelashes that long before.

"I think," he stammered. "I mean, they're a classic flower."

_What am I talking about? _he thought.

Blaine was still looking at him and smiling, and Kurt grabbed at his cell phone. "Oh god, sorry, I have to go," he blurted out, and he darted out of the shop, digging desperately for his car keys.

Quinn caught him by the arm. "Looking for these?" she asked, amused. His keys were dangling from her fingers. "You dropped them when you got your phone."

He snatched them from her hand. "Thanks," he said, fumbling for the key fob.

"What's got you so worked up?" she asked, regarding him over the rim of her sunglasses.

"Nothing," he said, shifting his weight.

Rachel burst out of the shop. "Oh my god," she said. "Kurt."

"What?" he said.

"You need to ask him out," she said proudly.

Kurt blinked. "No," he said.

She paused. "Why?" she pestered. "He's nice. He's cute. He seemed interested."

"But I'm not," Kurt said. He glanced down at the clock on his phone. "I have to go pick up Gabriel."

"But you need a date," Rachel pressed. "And he seems so nice. And you're lonely." She put her hands on her hips. "You can't keep living your life like you're punishing yourself for what happened. You can't-"

"I'm not interested, Rachel," Kurt said sharply. "And I have more important things to do. Like picking up my son."

He walked away. Rachel started to protest, but she stopped mid-syllable; he assumed Quinn stopped her. He got into the truck he'd borrowed from his dad and pulled out of the parking lot. There was a lump in his throat, but he wasn't sure why.

He forced himself to calm down as he pulled into the neighborhood pool parking lot and started looking for his son. Finn and Lucy had offered to take him while he was out of the house, and Gabriel had been looking forward to his first pool day of the summer now that he was out of school.

He unlocked the gate and let himself in. His sister-in-law was relaxing on a plastic lounger by the pool, a magazine abandoned beside her and her sunglasses over her eyes. Kurt sat down beside her. "Hey, Lu," he said.

She lifted her glasses and blinked at him. "Hey," she yawned, covering her mouth with the back of her hand. "Sorry, this baby wears me out. Finn's playing with Gabriel in the shallow end."

Kurt looked over and smiled when he spotted his little boy splashing at Finnand shrieking in the water. "Has he been behaving himself?" he asked.

"He's been just fine," Lucy smiled. "I made him take a short nap after lunch before we brought him down here, which he most certainly did not enjoy, but I think it made a difference." She sat up, sliding her sunglasses to the top of her head. "How was the flower appointment?"

"Oh, fine," Kurt said. "Rachel swept in and bossed everyone around. You know how it is."

Lucy frowned. "You've got that stress line between your eyebrows again," she said, gesturing at her own face. "What's wrong?"

He stretched out on the lounger and looked up at the clear blue sky. "Rachel wanted me to ask the florist to be my date to the wedding," he said.

"That's sweet," she smiled.

"It's not sweet," he said. "It was miserably awkward. And Rachel didn't want to take no for an answer."

"Why was Rachel so concerned?" Lucy asked.

"Because it's her picture-perfect wedding, and apparently it won't be perfect unless I bring a plus one," he said. He bit his lip. "And apparently she feels responsible for…everything. I guess she's taking it upon herself to fix all the things she thinks are wrong with my life."

"What things?" Lucy asked, frowning.

Kurt fell silent, tossing his forearm over his eyes. He didn't know how to answer.

"Aunt Lucy, I opened my eyes underwater!" Gabriel screeched, running across the concrete and flinging himself over her.

Lucy winced. "Careful, sunshine, careful," she said, smoothing down his wet hair. "Remember, there's a baby in my tummy."

"Oh, sorry, baby," Gabriel said, patting her rounded belly. He crawled over her and leaped onto Kurt. "Hi, Daddy!"

"Hey, kiddo," Kurt said. He hugged him tightly, despite the fact that the six-year-old was soaking wet and smelled like chlorine. "Have you had fun with Uncle Finn and Aunt Lucy today?"

"Uh-huh," Gabriel said. He wriggled on Kurt's lap, wrapping his arms around his neck. "I'm hungry. Can we go home?"

"Yes, honey, we can go home," Kurt said, tugging up the sagging waistband of Gabriel's wet Spiderman swim trunks. "Get your towel and we'll go, okay?"

He got Gabriel home and into the bathtub in short order, sitting on the bathroom counter to supervise while Gabriel played noisily with an array of plastic toys and whined when Kurt insisted it was time to shampoo his hair. Only the promise of chicken nuggets for dinner could lure him out of the bathwater. But he only lasted through the first ten minutes of dinner before he was dozing off, his head bobbing over his mashed potatoes. Kurt scooped him up and carried him to his room

"Daddy, can I go swimming tomorrow?" Gabriel mumbled sleepily as Kurt wrestled him into his pajamas.

"No, baby, but maybe we can to the park," he said. He picked Gabriel up and set him on his bed. "Lie down."

Gabriel crawled over to his pillow and immediately closed his eyes. "Kiss goodnight?" he asked.

Kurt bent to kiss him and tucked him in snugly. "I love you," he said, and Gabriel smiled at him, already drifting off to sleep as Kurt closed the bedroom door and headed back down to the kitchen.

"He conked out fast," Burt said, amused.

"Swimming usually does that," Kurt said as he started picking up dinner dishes.

Carole scooped leftovers into a tupperware container. "Lucy said you had an interesting day at Rachel's appointment," she said.

"Oh, just Rachel reveling in her bridal power," Kurt said as he rinsed a handful of flatware in the kitchen sink. "Nothing new."

"No, she said something about a date," Carole said.

Kurt tossed down the silverware with an angry clatter. "God, why does everyone care so much about me having a date?" he asked, exasperated. "I'm sick of hearing about it."

"Look, kid, I don't care if you go on a date or not," Burt said.

"_Thank _you," Kurt sighed, rolling his eyes.

"But you can't keep living like a recluse," Burt continued. "You know this the first time you've left the house in a week, right?"

"I leave the house," Kurt muttered, scrubbing furiously at a ketchup stain on a plate.

"Sweetie, the only time you leave the house is if Gabriel needs to go somewhere and no one else can take him," Carole pointed out. "Or if we're having Friday night dinner at Finn and Lucy's house instead of here."

"I stay here because I work from home," Kurt said. "I don't need to go out like everyone else."

Burt leaned back against the counter. "Yeah, but you don't see your friends anymore," he said. "They come through town and ask to see you; you only see 'em if they come to the house." He rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Why did you turn down Isabelle's offer again?"

"I know she wants me to work in the NYC office, but I don't want to go back there," Kurt said, gritting his teeth. "I'm never going back there."

"She's going to pay you a full salary, plus set you up with a good apartment," Burt reminded him.

"I don't want an apartment. I want to stay here."

"No, you don't, Kurt," Burt burst out, frustrated. "You've never wanted to stay in this town. You've always had big dreams. You don't belong here."

"What, are you kicking me out?" Kurt accused.

"Burt," Carole said in a low voice.

"No!" Burt said, but he stopped and took a deep breath. "No, I'm not kicking you out. I'd never kick you out. I love you, and I love my grandson."

"But it sounds like you're kicking us out," Kurt said bitterly.

"I want what's best for you, Kurt," Burt said. "And this…this isn't the best. You deserve so much more."

"No, I don't," Kurt burst out, and suddenly all he could hear was Rachel's voice saying _you can't keep punishing yourself for what happened. _"I don't deserve anything. Don't you get it?"

"Kurt," his father said, his voice dropping. "Kiddo, you deserve to have great things. I hate seeing you like this."

"Like what?" he said.

"You're just…you're so different," Burt said. "You don't dress in your crazy outfits that you loved. You don't sing in the shower. You don't…talk about anything anymore. And I know that I might not be the best when it comes to talking about feelings, but…for god's sake, Kurt. You haven't talked about Adam since-"

"Maybe I don't want to talk about Adam anymore!" Kurt shouted. "I'm over it, okay?"

"Kurt, you might not talk about him, but that doesn't mean you're not still grieving over him," Carole said quietly.

"I'm not grieving over him!" Kurt yelled, but his eyes were stinging.

"Yes, you are," Carole said, taking a step towards him. "You've locked yourself away ever since. You're so lonely, but you won't let anyone in. Not me, not your dad, not your brother…not even your own son."

"I'm not lonely!" Kurt said, but his voice shook. "In fact, I want you to leave me alone! I want everyone to leave me alone!"

"Daddy?"

All three of them froze and turned towards the doorway. Gabriel hid in the hallway, his damp hair mussed and his fingers over his eyes. "Why're you yelling at Nana and Grampa?" he asked sleepily.

"It's okay, baby, don't worry about it," Kurt soothed. He scooped him up. "Let's get you back to bed."

"Kurt."

He paused in the doorway, glancing over his shoulder. "You know I love you, right?" Burt said.

Kurt nodded. "I know," he said in a small voice. He shifted Gabriel on his hip. "Come on, baby."

He carried his son upstairs and set him down on his bed. "Daddy, what were you yelling about?" Gabriel asked.

"Nothing, sweetie," Kurt said. "Lie down. Put your head on your pillow."

Gabriel obeyed. "Daddy?" he questioned.

Kurt tugged on the curtains, making sure they were closed properly. "What, Gabe?" he said.

"Can you cuddle?"

Kurt relaxed his death grip on the curtains. "For a little bit," he said. "Scoot over."

He laid down beside him in the narrow bed, pulling the yellow and blue quilt over both of them. Gabriel nuzzled into his chest, pressing his cheek into his collarbone. "Daddy?"

"What?"

"When's the baby coming out of Aunt Lucy's tummy?" Gabriel asked.

"Not till December, remember?"

Gabriel fell silent for a moment. "Daddy?"

"Mm-hm?"

"Is the baby gonna be my brother or my sister?"

"No, it's going to be your cousin."

Gabriel pulled back and frowned. "I don't want a cousin, Daddy, I want a brother or a sister," he said. "When can I get one of those?"

"Sweetie, I can't get you one," Kurt said, brushing a lock of hair out of his eyes. "Lie down and go to sleep."

Gabriel wriggled away. "No, Daddy, you're not listening," he pestered. "I want a brother or a sister."

"It's really complicated," Kurt said, hoping Gabriel would drop the conversation. He did, but he picked up a new one.

"Daddy?" Gabriel said. "Who's Adam? Grampa was talking about Adam."

Kurt closed his eyes. "I'll tell you someday, baby," he said quietly.

"I wanna meet Adam," Gabriel pressed.

"Adam's in heaven," Kurt said. He took a deep breath. "Adam and I were…" His voice trailed off. He'd explained to Gabriel before about how he liked boys and not girls, but he didn't know how to explain this.

"Boyfriends?" Gabriel supplied. "You were boyfriend and boyfriend?"

"Yes," Kurt said. "We were boyfriend and boyfriend."

"Why did he go to heaven?" Gabriel asked.

Kurt shifted around in the soft bed, pulling Gabriel closer to his chest. Maybe it wouldn't be so scary to explain if he held him tight enough.

"There was a bad man," he said softly. "A very bad man, with a gun. He wanted Adam's money, and his phone, and when he didn't give it to him…"

He closed his eyes. Gabriel wiggled closer against him, shivering. "Daddy, the bad man's not going to come back, right?" he said.

"No, no, of course not," Kurt reassured him. "This was far away, in New York City. Not in Ohio." He kissed Gabriel's temple. "And they caught him, and took away his gun, and they put him in jail."

Gabriel relaxed, sagging into his chest. "Okay," he said. "So he won't come in through my window?"

"No, never," Kurt said, kissing his cheek. "You need to go to sleep."

Gabriel rested against him, but after a moment he leaned up on his elbows. "Daddy, are you lonely?" he asked. "I heard Nana say you were lonely."

"Why would I be lonely when I have you?" Kurt said, brushing his hair out of his eyes.

"But don't you want a new boyfriend?" Gabriel asked. Kurt didn't answer, and Gabriel yawned hugely. "Aren't you happy, Daddy?"

Kurt still didn't answer, and before long Gabriel fell asleep sprawled across his chest. He stayed there for a long time, watching his son breathe deeply, and even though he meant to go back to his own room, he fell asleep there instead.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

****So...now you know a little bit about Kurt's past...but still not a whole lot! Who's Gabriel's mother? Where did he come from? Why doesn't Gabriel know about Adam?

Tee hee. See, _I _know...but you'll have to keep reading to find out.

Also, Finn and Lucy are married and having a baby and alskdjfldskjf it makes me so happy.

OH AND YEAH KURT AND BLAINE MET. HURRAY!

Now...how shall they run into each other next?


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Glee belongs to Ryan Murphy and Fox, not me.

* * *

Blaine leaned over his mother's shoulder as she read through the order records. "Too close, sweet pea, you're breathing down my neck," Hannah said, batting at him.

"But did I do okay?" he asked.

She set the records down and arranged them into a neat pile. "You did great, honey bear," she said. She patted his cheek. "You made your mama proud." He grinned. "You even handled the Berry-St. James wedding. Very nice."

"Thanks," he said, pleased.

"I don't suppose you could stay down here full time and help me out, would you?" she said, leaning back to look up at him. "I could give you a promotion. Assistant manager?"

He made a face. "I'm glad to help, Mom, but I don't really want to make the flower shop my life," he said.

"Well," she said slowly. "What would you like to do with your life, honey?"

Blaine sighed. He turned a chair around and sat down beside her. "I don't know," he confessed. "I thought the record deal was my life. That was everything I wanted."

"Oh, maybe it's just what you thought you wanted, sweet pea," Hannah said, brushing a stray curl off his forehead.

"Mom, I've wanted to be a singer since I was three," he protested. "I did everything right. I did the lessons, I did the school choirs. I sang in coffee shops."

"You went to college," Hannah reminded him.

"Because you and Dad wanted me to go to college," he countered. "And I still got my degree in music production." He sighed heavily. "So now I'm stuck back in Ohio, with a college degree that I don't know how to use, and a whole bunch of promotional posters for an album that's never going to see the light of day."

"It's not your fault the record company went bankrupt," she said, rubbing his back. "And it's not your fault that they still have the rights to your recording."

"I know, Mom, but that isn't making it any easier to suddenly find a new path in life," he said.

The bells above the shop door jangled and Hannah stood up, smiling. "Hi, welcome to…" She paused. "Sweetie, where's your mommy?"

Blaine stood up and crossed to the register, ready to pick up the phone and make a call. They got lost children in the shop periodically, but thank goodness his mom was here to handle it. He wasn't so sure how good he was with kids.

"It's okay, I don't have a mommy," a small voice chirped. Blaine frowned. The little boy looked familiar.

"Oh!" Hannah said. "Well…what about your daddy, then?"

The golden-haired child skipped past her. "That's why I'm here," he said. He stood on tiptoes and beamed up at Blaine. "Hi, Mr. Flower Man!"

"Gabriel?" Blaine stammered. "What are you doing here, buddy? Where's your family?"

Gabriel pried a small green envelope out of his back pocket. "This is for you," he said proudly. "My Aunt Lucy wrote it, but I said all the words."

Blaine opened the envelope and found a plain ivory note card written in a round pretty cursive.

_Dear Mr. Florist,_

_Would you go on a date with my daddy? He's lonely and I like you. Don't tell, he doesn't know._

_Thank you,_

_Gabe Hummel_

"Blaine? What's going on?" Hannah asked, bemused.

Blaine slid the note back in the envelope. "Gabriel, I'm…I'm very honored," he said. The little boy was smiling up at him angelically with dimples so deep they could hold water. "But I don't think I can take your daddy out on a date."

Gabriel blinked. "Do you not like boys?" he asked. "My daddy likes boys, and you're a nice boy. But if you don't like boys, can you still be my daddy's friend? He's lonely." He pointed to the note. "It says so. My daddy's lonely."

"No, no, I…I like boys, but…I don't know your daddy," Blaine said. "I can't ask him out on a date if I don't know him."

"Do you need his phone number?" Gabriel asked eagerly. "I mem'rized it! Daddy had me mem'rize it before I went to kindergarten. It's-"

"Sweetie, I'm sorry, but I can't call your daddy, and I can't take him out on a date," Blaine said as kindly as he could. Gabriel's shoulders still slumped, though, and as his face crumpled Blaine had the sudden uneasy feeling that he might be a monster. He walked around the counter and reached for the little boy's soft hand. "Let's go find your family, okay?"

A kind-eyed older woman walked into the shop, looking distinctly frazzled. "I'm looking for my grandson, have you seen him?" she asked Hannah. "He's almost six, blond hair, blue eyes-"

Gabriel burst into tears and went running to her. The woman opened her arms and pulled him into a hug. "Nana!" he sobbed.

The woman picked him up. "Oh, sweetie," she sighed, patting his back as she settled him on her hip. "I keep telling you not to run off."

Gabriel blubbered into her shoulder. Hannah pulled a sympathetic face. "I'm sorry you got lost, honey lamb," she said.

The older woman sighed. "I'd better get him home," she said. "Sorry about that."

"No, no, don't worry about it," Hannah said, waving her hand. "My kids ran off like that too when they were little, I know what it's like. I'm just glad you found him."

The woman nodded gratefully and carried the still-sobbing little boy out of the shop. Hannah turned to Blaine. "What was that all about?" she asked.

He slid the envelope into his back pocket. "Nothing," he said. "I'm going to go in the back and check inventory, okay?"

He left before she could ask anything else, closing the door behind him. For a moment he thought about throwing the note away, but he couldn't bring himself to do it.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

OH GABEY BABY. IT'S OKAY. EVENTUALLY YOUR DADDY AND THE FLOWER MAN WILL BE HAPPY.

MAYBE.

Maybe this is all a cruel charade and the story will end with Kurt hiding away forever, sad and alone, and Blaine never finds his purpose in life, and everyone will weep copiously.

I don't know. I haven't decided how this will end yet.

JK I TOTALLY KNOW. But I'm not telling you how it ends.

And in related news, I've started posting my other Klaine reverse bang fill! It's basically the complete opposite of this one. While this story is sweet and adorable with a bit of angst, the other story starts off as sweet and then BAM OH MY GOD SO MUCH ANGST. In fact, the other one is so angsty that Margaret (SwingGirlAtHeart, who wrote One in Four) loves it. Which is saying something. She's quite picky. The story is called "Sweeter Than Heaven, Hotter Than Hell" and if you could read it and leave me a review I shall love you forever.

No, seriously, I will. I've only gotten like six reviews on it so far and it's making me want to cry.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Glee belongs to Ryan Murphy and Fox, not me.

* * *

Kurt shifted his weight and stifled a sigh. The wedding rehearsal had been underway for an hour, and Jesse and Rachel were still bickering about which bridesmaid needed to walk in with which groomsman.

"Daddy," Gabriel whispered loudly, cupping his hands around his mouth. "Daddy, I have to go potty."

Kurt beckoned him over. "Come on, sweetie, let's go," he said.

"Wait!" Rachel screeched, flapping her hands hysterically. "You can't move! I need to figure out where to place everyone!"

"But I have a five-year-old who needs to pee," Kurt said, taking Gabriel's hand.

"I'm six now, Daddy," Gabriel retorted.

"I'm sorry," Kurt said, and Gabriel nodded solemnly. "All right, let's go find the bathroom." They walked out of the hotel ballroom and down the quiet hall, and when the bathroom door came in sight, Gabriel zipped off. "Don't run! I'll be waiting right outside for you."

He sighed heavily and leaned against the wall opposite the bathroom door to wait for his son. If he'd had his way, he wouldn't have come to the rehearsal at all, but Rachel had insisted- and Gabriel had insisted when he learned there would be ice cream at the dinner.

He stared idly down at his fingernails, picking aimlessly at a ragged cuticle, and suddenly someone slammed into him, nearly knocking him over. "Ow," he said, surprised.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry," a voice said. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, you just startled me," Kurt said, glancing over his shoulder. He paused and blinked. "Oh!"

The handsome florist smiled at him. "Hey," he said, the corners of his hazel eyes crinkling up. "It's Kurt, right? With a K?"

"Kurt with a K, yeah," Kurt stammered. He felt the back of his neck heating up. "And you're…" He paused. "God, I'm sorry, I don't remember your name."

"Blaine," he said, holding out his hand. "Blaine Anderson."

Kurt shook his hand. "I'm Kurt Hu- oh, god, you already knew that," he said. He felt the blush creeping up from his neck to his cheeks. "Sorry. I spend most of my time behind a computer screen. My people skills are a bit rusty."

Blaine laughed, but it sounded warm and friendly, not mocking. "Your people skills seem just fine to me," he said. "Your writing skills are definitely fabulous too."

Kurt was sure now- his cheeks and ears had to be absolutely red at this point. "You, um, read my articles?" he said.

"You're the only Kurt who writes for Vogue, so after your friends mentioned it, it was pretty easy to google you," Blaine said. He grinned a little sheepishly. "That's a little creepy, isn't it?"

"Oh, well, it's not that creepy, I think, at least in this day and age, I mean..." Kurt stammered. He twisted his fingers and glanced down. Somehow he'd ripped his cuticle and his thumb was bleeding. Quickly he hid his hand behind his back. "I mean…it's not creepy."

Blaine cleared his throat. "So…when you were at the shop for the florist appointment…I couldn't help but overhear a little bit," he said. "You need a date for the wedding?"

There was a peculiar roaring sound in his ears. It almost sounded like Blaine was asking him out on a date.

"Are you all right?" Blaine asked curiously, leaning in a little closer. Kurt could see every fleck of green in his amber eyes. "You just got really white for a second."

"I mean…I just…a date?" Kurt stammered. His tongue felt thick. "You want me for a date? I mean…you want to ask me out on a date?" He sighed and rubbed his forehead. "I'm so sorry. I'm making an idiot out of myself."

"No, you're not," Blaine said, smiling at him. "I just thought…well, I don't have much going on, and if you're single, maybe it might be nice if we spent some time together?" He paused. "Unless you're not single, in which case I've just made an ass of myself."

"No, no, I'm single," Kurt said.

Blaine's eyes widened. "Oh god, are you straight?" he said. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"No, no, I'm gay," Kurt said. "Gay and single, it's just-" He hesitated. "It's just that…"

The bathroom door swung open and Gabriel hopped out. "All finished, Daddy," he said cheerfully, wiping his damp hands on his vest. "I washed my hands and everything!"

"Good job, sweetie," Kurt said, holding out his hand. Gabriel latched onto his fingers and Kurt gripped tightly, taking comfort in the soft warmth of his son's little hand. He didn't look up at Blaine.

But Gabriel noticed Blaine, and his big blue eyes lit up. "Mr. Flower Man!" he shrieked. He dropped Kurt's hand and ran over to Blaine, hugging him around his waist. "Hi, Mr. Flower Man!"

Kurt grabbed his son's shoulder and pulled him back. "Gabriel Adam, no sir," he scolded, hugging Gabriel around his chest. "I'm sorry. This is my son, and he's usually really shy around strangers..."

Gabriel wriggled in Kurt's grip. "He's not a stranger, Daddy, he's my flower man," he said happily. "He gave me the flowers to give to you."

"Oh," Kurt said. "Oh!" He looked slowly up at Blaine. "You're the florist?"

"You're Gabriel's daddy?" Blaine said.

They stared at each other. Gabriel looked from one to the other, smiling brightly. Kurt's heart began to sink. The first time he'd been asked out in six years, and he could already see it written all over Blaine's face- no one was going to want to date a twenty-five-year-old guy with a little kid. He hadn't even really allowed himself to think about dating, but now that he was faced with it, he felt…disappointed.

He scooped Gabriel up and set him on his hip. "Come on, honey," he said. "We'd better get back to the rehearsal before Aunt Rachel explodes."

Gabriel looked up at him. "Can I see my flower man later?" he asked.

"Maybe," Kurt said, forcing his voice to sound light. He kissed Gabriel's cheek, not daring to look up at Blaine. "Come on."

He carried Gabriel down the hall to the ballroom. "Honey," he said quietly. "You know I love you, right?"

"Uh-huh," Gabriel said, in a voice that clearly said _"duh, Daddy._"

Kurt set him down outside the ballroom door, then knelt and kissed Gabriel's forehead. "All that matters is that you're happy," he said. "You're happy, right?"

Gabriel smiled at him. "Don't worry, Daddy, I'm happy," he said. He grabbed Kurt's wrist and tugged him into the ballroom. "Let's go, we're late."

They went back into the rehearsal to find Jesse and Rachel still trying to decide if Jesse's cousin needed to walk in with Quinn or with Mercedes. Kurt walked Gabriel back to his spot beside the flower girl before going back to his own place.

The rehearsal dragged on for forever. Kurt almost wished that Gabriel needed another bathroom break just to have an excuse to leave. His mind wandered while he stood there, and he started wondering what would happen if he did tell Blaine he was interested in going on a date. All the different scenarios started popping up in his head- Blaine telling him off because he didn't want to date a guy with a kid, Blaine stammering about how now wasn't a good time…Blaine accepting with a smile and asking when and where they ought to meet.

Kurt shook his head. _You don't deserve to be in a relationship, _he told himself sternly. _And besides, Gabriel is what's important. He needs to be happy, and you won't be able to take care of him if you're dating again._

"…okay, and Gabriel, you're going to walk in after the last bridesmaid and groomsman, okay?" Jesse said, beckoning the little boy forward. "And then Annabel is going to walk in after you and throw rose petals, and then Rachel will walk in, escorted by her fathers."

Rachel beamed at Jesse and the little flower girl smiled smugly, but Gabriel looked around nervously. "I walk in by myself?" he said.

"Sure, sweetie, with the ring bearer pillow," Rachel said.

"No, not ring bearer," Gabriel corrected. "Ringbear. I'm the ringbear."

"No, you're the ring bearer," Jesse said. He crouched down to talk to Gabriel. "You're going to carry a little pillow with the rings on it, and you'll walk in all by yourself."

"Is everybody gonna look at me?" Gabriel asked, his blue eyes big.

"Of course," Jesse said, puzzled.

"But they won't know it's me 'cause I'm in a bear suit, right?" Gabriel said.

"Oh, but honey, you're not going to be in a bear suit, you're going to wear a nice little tux that looks just like your daddy's," Rachel said.

Gabriel's lower lip quavered. "I was gonna be a bear," he said. Kurt sighed deeply and rubbed his forehead. "And I don't wanna walk by myself."

"You'll be fine," Jesse reassured him. He held out his hand. "Come on, I'll walk with you and we can practice."

"No!" Gabriel said, backing away and shaking his head. "No! Noooo! I wanna be a bear and I don't wanna walk with myself!"

He had all the signs of an impending temper tantrum. Kurt glanced down at his watch. It was long past the time that Gabriel usually ate dinner- no wonder he was on the verge of a meltdown. "Let me take him," he told Rachel quietly, who nodded eagerly.

"I don't wanna walk by myself," Gabriel shrieked.

"I know, baby," Kurt soothed. He bent and scooped him up. "Let's go outside for a little bit, okay?"

Gabriel latched onto him, wrapping his arms around his neck and his legs around his waist. "It's okay," Kurt said, rubbing his back. "Daddy's right here. You're fine."

Gabriel bawled into his shoulder, clinging to his shirt. Kurt carried him down the hall and found a couch tucked under a stairwell. He sat down carefully, balancing his little boy on his lap. Gabriel sobbed into his chest. "I don't wanna walk by myself," he wailed. "I wanna walk with you."

"Okay, sweetie, okay," Kurt soothed.

He rocked him gently, humming under his breath. Gabriel slowly began to calm down, his sobbing quieting down to small whimpers. Kurt leaned back, adjusting Gabriel's weight in his arms, and waited out the temper tantrum. It wasn't even really a tantrum- he could tell it was just a combination of nerves and being hungry.

He felt someone's eyes on him and he looked up under his lashes. Blaine was standing there with a glass vase of ivory roses in his arms. He started when he caught Kurt looking at him and smiled at him, sheepish but charming.

Gabriel sniffled, wiping his wet cheek on Kurt's shirt, and Kurt looked away from Blaine. "Better, baby?" he asked. Gabriel nodded, wiping his nose with the back of his hand. Kurt stood up and set him on his hip. "Let's go get you cleaned up, okay?"

Blaine was already gone. Kurt shifted Gabriel's weight and carried him to the bathroom. "Daddy, I didn't know it was going to be scary to be the ringbear," Gabriel said.

Kurt ran a paper towel under the faucet. "What makes it scary?" he asked.

Gabriel bit his lip, pondering. "I don't want everybody looking at me," he said at last.

Kurt wiped the snot and tears gently away from his blotchy cheeks. "Why not, sweetie?" he asked.

"I don't know, I just don't want them thinking I'm silly," Gabriel said, wriggling away from the wet paper towel.

"No one will think you're silly," Kurt reassured him. "They're just going to think you're very handsome." He threw the paper towel away and tucked a loose strand of golden hair away from his son's face, smiling at him. "And do you know what you should say if anyone thinks you're silly?" Gabriel shook his head. "You should say that 'nobody pushes the Hummels around,' and you should just not even pay them any attention because you know they're wrong."

Gabriel smiled at him, revealing the deep dimples in his cheeks. Kurt cupped his face in his hands and kissed his forehead. "Let's go find you something to eat, okay?" he said. "I think it's dinner time."

"Okay!" Gabriel said, brightening. He grabbed Kurt's hand and trotted alongside him down the hall. "Daddy? Is the wedding going to be boring like this?"

"No, it should be more exciting," Kurt promised. "Remember when Uncle Finn and Aunt Lucy got married?"

Gabriel laughed and wrinkled his nose. "No, Daddy, I was a baby," he said.

Kurt tugged playfully on his hand. "You were two, you can probably remember a little bit," he teased. "You had a lot of fun. You ate a lot of cake."

"I like cake," Gabriel admitted.

"We'll have cake tomorrow," Kurt promised. "Aunt Rachel picked out a really good one, you'll like it."

He walked into the hotel's restaurant, already filled with various members of the Berry and St. James families. "Oh my god, Kurt, there you are," Rachel said, running over them. "I hadn't even realized how late it was. No wonder Gabriel was so cranky." She knelt down and hugged Gabriel. "I'm so sorry, sweetie. Are you hungry?"

"Daddy was talking about cake and now I want some," Gabriel reported.

"There's no cake, but there's ice cream," Rachel said, holding out her hand. He took it eagerly and walked with her over to the ice cream sundae bar.

"Don't let him eat dessert before dinner, Rachel Berry," Kurt called.

Quinn sidled up to him. "Thank god he had a meltdown when he did, or Jesse and Rachel would have never ended that rehearsal," she said. She tucked her arm through his. "And I have a question. What on earth are you wearing?"

"Clothes," he said, blinking.

Quinn sighed. "Oh, Kurt Hummel," she said, leading him forcibly over to a table and making him sit down. "If the Kurt I knew in high school knew what you were wearing, he'd be ashamed."

"The Kurt Hummel you knew in high school hasn't existed in years," Kurt said dryly.

She rested her chin in his hand and studied him, arching an eyebrow. "I always meant to keep in better contact with you when I graduated, but I really dropped the ball, and then all of a sudden you had a baby and you weren't leaving your house anymore," she said. She tilted her head. "What happened?"

Kurt shrugged uncomfortably. "Life," he said shortly.

"No, but I mean…even before we graduated," she said. "Senior year, you were so quiet. You just seemed to lose some of that fire."

He gazed across the room and spotted Gabriel's golden head. "There was a lot going on," he said. "Bullying, mostly." He glanced back at her. "I thought about transferring schools, but we just couldn't afford it."

She took his hand. "I'm sorry," she said, squeezing his fingers. "You never said anything."

"I didn't really talk about it," he said. "I didn't expect you to notice."

She rubbed her thumb over his knuckles. "Still," she said. "I wish I had done something. If not in high school, then in college, after your boyfriend died. I felt like I should have gotten in touch with you after that. All those pictures started popping up on Facebook, of you at parties, drunk out of your mind…"

He drew his hand back. "I've grown up a lot," he said. "And I've got my job and my little boy. I'm fine. I don't need anyone to worry about me."

She didn't say anything, but she squeezed his arm lightly. He bit back a sigh as he watched Gabriel bounce around, his crying fit already forgotten.

That was the point, right? To make sure Gabriel was okay, that he grew up happy and healthy and cared for? That he could go to a good school, get a good job…not make the same mistakes his father made. And Kurt was doing everything for that. He worked from home to spend more time with Gabriel and he took on extra freelance jobs to save for Gabriel's college fund. Everything was for Gabriel. It had to be.

It was his mistakes that brought Gabriel into this world. He had better do everything he could to make his life as good as possible.

Gabriel darted across the restaurant and leaped onto Kurt's lap. "Aunt Rachel's getting me mac and cheese before I get my ice cream," he said. "Hi, Aunt Quinn!"

"Hi, sugarplum," she said, leaning over to rub her nose against his. He giggled. "Feeling better?"

"Uh-huh," he said. He twisted around on Kurt's lap. "Oh, and Daddy, Aunt Rachel said you can walk with me down the aisle so I won't be scared." He frowned. "But I still can't be a ringbear. I just have to carry a pillow."

"Okay, honey," Kurt laughed.

Someone reached over Kurt's shoulder. "Sorry, I'm just fixing the flowers, they're a little…"

Kurt glanced up to see Blaine grinning down at him. "Hi," he stammered.

"Hi," Blaine said. He looked out of place with the nicely dressed guests, his green polo with the flower shop logo stretched over his biceps and his dark curls rumpled.

"Hi, Flower Man!" Gabriel said, kneeling on his chair to wave.

"You can call me Blaine, kiddo," he said with a wide grin.

"Okay, Mr. Blaine," Gabriel said.

Kurt tugged on his belt loop. "Sit down on your bottom," he said. Gabriel stuck out his lower lip, clearly not wanting to obey, but a waiter walked by with a bowl of macaroni and cheese, but he let out a happy squeal and plunked down. Kurt could still sense Blaine looking at him, but he didn't look up as he got out Gabriel's utensils and scooted his chair closer to the table.

"He's gone, Kurt, you can stop pretending he's not there," Quinn said.

"Hm?" Kurt said, glancing up innocently.

Quinn rolled her eyes. "God, Kurt, you're like a camper who ran into a bear in the woods," she said. "You can't just play dead and wait for him to go away."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Kurt said. He turned to Gabriel. "Sweetie, do you need a napkin?"

"He thinks you're cute, I can tell," Quinn said. "You should ask him out."

"Oh, he already asked me out," Kurt said without thinking, and instantly regretted it when Quinn smiled broadly.

"And you said…" she prompted, waving her hand.

"I haven't answered," Kurt said. "But it's probably a no. Gabriel, nah-uh, don't eat with your fingers."

"Are you serious?" Quinn said. "Kurt. He's gorgeous. He seems incredibly nice. And it's a just a little date. It can't hurt anything."

"I'm not really in a place for a relationship," he said., wiping a noodle off Gabriel's cheek.

Quinn laughed, not unkindly. "It's not a relationship, Kurt, it's one date," she said. "It's not even a real thing. He's keeping you company at a wedding." She held up her index finger, smiling playfully. "One little date."

Gabriel looked up. "Daddy, you're going on a date?" he said, waving his fork around in excitement.

"Oh, sweetie, careful, you're going to throw your dinner at Aunt Quinn," Kurt said, lowering his hand.

"Daddy, are you going to go on a date with my flower man?" Gabriel asked eagerly.

"Just eat your dinner," Kurt said, exasperated.

"That's not a no," Quinn pointed out.

"Daddy, you should go on a date with my flower man," Gabriel pressed.

Kurt threw up his hands. "I swear to God, the next person to say anything about me going on a date is going to get a glass of water in their face," he said. He looked at Gabriel. "Or have their TV privileges taken away." Gabriel pouted, but turned his attention back to his dinner. Quinn just rolled her eyes.

The dinner devolved into toasts to the bride and groom, each one longer than the next, especially when Rachel's teary-eyed fathers took their turns. Kurt was starting to feel antsy and bored; Quinn busied herself with tearing up her cocktail napkin into tiny pieces. Gabriel, done with his macaroni and cheese, started shifting around, climbing on his chair to Kurt's lap and then Quinn's lap. From there he started whining, not even placated by the small cup of vanilla ice cream he was given. The clock rolled on to eleven- long past Gabriel's bedtime.

"Daddy, I'm bored," he whispered loudly. "I wanna go home."

Kurt ran his hand through his hair for the millionth time, messing it up horribly. "Just a little bit longer," he whispered back. "Sit still."

Gabriel obeyed for maybe forty-five seconds before wriggling off Kurt's lap and reaching for the floral centerpiece in the middle of the table. "No, sir," Kurt said, tugging his hand back.

"I wanna go home," he whined again, kicking his heel against the leg of his chair.

"Gabriel Adam," Kurt warned, catching his small wrist. "No, sir."

"I'm bored," Gabriel wailed, his voice rising. Kurt stood up, wrapped an arm around Gabriel's waist, and hoisted him up.

"Tell Rachel I'm sorry, but I had to get him home," he whispered to Quinn, who nodded

He carried him out of the hotel restaurant, despite Gabriel shrieking and kicking at him. "Noooo!" he shouted. "I wanna walk! I can walk!"

Kurt paused. "Are you going to run away from me?" he asked. Gabriel shook his head. Kurt set him down, and the second his shoes hit the floor Gabriel tried to bolt. Kurt caught him quickly. "No, sir."

"Nooooo!" Gabriel bellowed, wriggling in his grip. "No, put me down, Daddy, put me down!" He struggled mightily against Kurt's grip. "I'm telling Grampa!"

Kurt bit back a sigh and readjusted his hold. "Grampa will back me up," he said. "Trust me."

He was halfway through the parking lot, Gabriel still when he heard his name. "Kurt! Hey, wait a second!"

He paused, struggling to hold onto his wiggling, shrieking son. "What?" he asked, exasperated.

The green florist van was parked in the space across from his car. Of course it was. And Blaine was standing there, smiling hesitantly. "I just…you never gave me an answer," he said.

Kurt blinked. "You still want to take me out?" he said.

Blaine nodded. "I've been trying to catch you to hear if it was a yes or a no," he said. "And there was never a good time, and…well, this still isn't a good time, but you're about to leave, so…"

Kurt's whole body ached. His head hurt. His six-year-old son was screaming and struggling in his grip. His button-up shirt was badly wrinkled and half-untucked, his hair was falling over his forehead, and he couldn't remember if he'd put on cologne before he left for the rehearsal. And for the first time since Adam died, someone was asking him out on a date.

"Do you know what?" he said. "Yes."

Blaine blinked. "Yes?"

"Yes," Kurt said. "Do you want to be my date to the wedding tomorrow? I can just meet you here."

"Sure," Blaine stammered. "Sure! I'd love to."

"Fantastic," Kurt said. He wrapped both arms around Gabriel's waist to keep him from running away. "I'll meet you here, then. Tomorrow."

"Tomorrow," Blaine said, pleased.

Kurt offered him a half smile and wrestled around in his pocket for the keys to the truck. "All right, Gabriel, let's go home," he said.

"No," Gabriel sobbed, shaking his head and trying to squirm away. Kurt sat him down in his booster seat, holding him gently but firmly in place as he buckled him in. "No, Daddy."

"Go to sleep," Kurt said firmly. "Calm down and go to sleep."

He got into the driver's seat and backed out of his space; Gabriel's sobs were already beginning to die down. By the time he was on the interstate, Gabriel had gone completely quiet, and he reached around to the backseat to squeeze his knee. "You okay, sweetie?" he asked softly.

Gabriel didn't say anything, but he squeezed his small hand around Kurt's fingers. Kurt smiled, and even though it made his arm fall asleep, he held his son's hand like that the whole way home.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

KURT AND BLAINE HAVE GOT THEMSELVES A REAL DATE! HURRAY!

And also Kurt is a sweet daddy, but for GOD'S SAKE, SON, CUT YOURSELF A LITTLE SLACK. Blaine has got to step in and give the poor darling a self-esteem boost.

i hope you enjoyed this nice big update! I'm in the middle of some chaos- I'm moving into my new apartment on Monday, and my darling husband will be here on Wednesday! I haven't seen him in three months, so I'm SO excited. AND I WILL HAVE MY KITTEN BABY BACK TOO! But all that to say that I am probably going to be all over the place for he next week or so!

So in the next update, Kurt and Blaine will be at the wedding as dates! Give me your predictions! What do you think will happen on the date? What do you want to see happen on the date? And what shenanigans do you think baby Gabriel will get into?

And don't forget, I'm also posting my other bigbang, Sweeter Than Heaven, Hotter Than Hell, too, so go read that one and leave some feedback!


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